GRS 400
CONFIDENTIAL
FM JAKARTA
Confidential
HKKON
TO DESKBY 20083OZ FCO
TELNO 426
OF 19102OZ OCTOBER 86
405
TOP COPY Q DIST ?
011/1
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY 31 OCT 1986
DESK OFFICER
INFO DESKBY 20010OZ HONG KONG
INDEX
399
403
REGISTRY
PA
Action Taken
409
See
FOLLOWING FOR HUM HKD FROM WILSON
مانم
YOUR TELS TO HONG KONG NOS 2299, 2300, 2319, HONG KONG TELMOS 3441 AND 3442 : PAPER ON REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT
1.
I AM CONTENT WITH THE WAY THIS PAPER IS DEVELOPING IN THE
TELEGRAPHIC DISCUSSION BETWEEN YOU AND HONG KONG SUBJECT TO THE
FOLLOWING COMMENTS:
1) PARA 21 OF FCO TELN 2300: WORTH MAKING IT CLEAR THAT WE ARE
COMMITTED TO INCLUDE THE SUBJECT OF DIRECT ELECTIONS IN THE
1987 REVIEW SEMICLN
11) PARA 23 OF PAPER: THE PRESENT WORDING MIGHT CAUSE MINISTERS
TO UNDERESTIMATE CHINESE EXPRESSIONS OF CONCERN ABOUT DIRECT ELECTIONS. SUGGEST YOU EMPHASISE THAT, ALTHOUGH, AS THE PAPER POINTS OUT, THEY HAVE SAID THEY ARE NOT OPPOSED IN PRINCIPLE, THEY HAVE
LONG BEEN HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS ABOUT DIRECT ELECTIONS. THEIR CONCERN ABOUT THE EFFECTS SEEMS TO HAVE GROWN IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS,
PROBABLY AS A RESULT OF THE CONFRONTATION IN LEGCO OVER DAYA BAY.
YOU COULD NOTE THAT BUSINESS LEADERS IN CONTACT WITH THE CHINESE
TEND TO OPPOSE DIRECT ELECTIONS AND TO SAY SO. ALSO, THEIR OWN SUB-COMMITTEE DRAFTING THE RELEVANT SECTION OF THE BASIC LAW HAS, AT PRESENT, A SUBSTANTIAL MAJORITY AGAINST DIRECT ELECTIONS SENICLN
111) PARA 31 OF PAPER AS REDRAFTED IN HONG KONG TELNO 3442: IN
ADDITION TO THE POINT MADE BY HONG KONG ABOUT CHINESE OPPOSITION TO
DIRECT ELECTIONS CAUSING MORE PEOPLE TO SUPPORT THEM AS A SYMBOL
OF QUOTE AUTONOMY UNQUOTE, WORTH NOTING THAT, FOR OTHERS, CHINESE
OPPOSITION WILL CAUSE THEM TO TURN AGAINST DIRECT ELECTIONS EVEN
IF THEY MIGHT OTHERWISE HAVE BEEN MODERATELY IN FAVOUR. THE RESULT
IS INCREASING POLARISATION SEMICLN
IV) LIKE YOU I HAVE NOTED THE IMPORTANT JUDGEMENT IN THE
PENULTIMATE SENTENCE OF THE REDRAFT OF PARA 31 IN HONG KONG TELNO
3342. SINCE SUCH JUDGEMENTS CAN ONLY SENSIBLY BE MADE BY THOSE ON
THE SPOT, I SUGGEST YOU MAKE
CAR THAT THIS IS THE GOVERNOR'S
VIEW SEMICLN
C
CLEAR
Contigential
|v)